Nova Scotia restaurants ‘anxious to get moving’ as province reopens

Restaurants Canada’s Luc Erjavec says even though restrictions are soon ending, it’s still hard for many business owners to operate

CITYnews halifax \ Chris Stoodley

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Restaurant operators across Nova Scotia are more ready than ever to reopen their doors as Nova Scotia inches towards fewer COVID-19 restrictions.

That’s according to Restaurants Canada’s Luc Erjavec, who’s the organization’s vice-president for Atlantic Canada.

“They’re anxious to get moving,” Erjavec said. “They want to open up further. They look at what’s going on across the country, across the world, and they think it’s time to get rid of most of the restrictions and open it up and try to return to normal.”

Erjavec told The Todd Veinotte Show that Nova Scotia has some of the strictest measures in place.

Currently, restaurants in the province can operate at 75 per cent capacity while enforcing public health measures, including physical distancing and masks, with a maximum of 25 people at a table. On top of that, all establishments, including those that hold a liquor license, can only serve people until midnight and must close by 1 a.m.

During Nova Scotia’s COVID-19 briefing on Feb. 23, the province announced it was fast-tracking its plans to lift restrictions.

Phase 3 of Nova Scotia’s reopening plan will see all COVID-19 restrictions dropped, including the requirement to show proof of vaccination for non-essential activities.

But that doesn’t mean the situation will immediately return to normal for restaurant operators.

“Even with the lightening of the load, it’s still really hard operationally and still hard to make a go of it in a business,” Erjavec said.

“Most people have said, ‘COVID is here to stay, it’s time to live with it instead of trying to fight it,’ and I think that would be the opinion of most restaurant operators.”

As restrictions lift, one thing Erjavec said he’d like to see is for government officials — such as Dr. Robert Strang, Halifax Mayor Mike Savage and Premier Tim Houston — to confirm it’s safe to go out and eat at restaurants. Moreover, Erjavec would like to see them actually out dining at local restaurants.

On top of that, he said there are some incentives that could potentially work in Nova Scotia.

For instance, New Brunswick offered a 20 per cent rebate for residents who travelled within the province in 2020, and it expanded the rebate to include all Atlantic Canadians in 2021.

Prince Edward Island also launched a Dine In and Save program in 2021, allowing diners to save 50 per cent when they ate at full-service restaurants from Sunday through Wednesday in March.

“The explosion of people going out and about, and what it did for consumer confidence was huge,” Erjavec said. “I think we have to see programs like that. We have to see leaders step up.”

He said most restaurant operators understand that some customers will still be afraid, but operators will still continue ensuring everyone’s safety and responding to their needs.

“But at the same time, we need to get beyond this,” Erjavec said. “It’s been a heck of a two years. We’ve lost money for two years and we’ve accumulated hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. At some point, we have to return to normal.”

Even though restrictions end on March 21, Erjavec said restaurant operators will always respond to their customers.

And even when things fully reopen, he said Restaurants Canada indicates most restaurants owners won’t see a return to pre-COVID sales numbers until the end of 2023 or 2024. Moreover, some operators will have accumulated debt that will take years to pay.

“But I think the beauty of our industry is it’s full of entrepreneurs,” Erjavec said. “Even in the height of the pandemic, there are people out there opening businesses, have a good idea, think they can make a go of it — and you have to applaud their spirit.”